Reading week

It's Reading Week for me and that means that it's back to Goderich for a chance to recharge my batteries. Most of my assignments and midterms were before Reading Week so I can actually enjoy my time off and not spend all of it studying.  I cannot slouch off entirely though.

 Luckily the Goderich Library is really cool and a great place to study. It is in an old triangular building with a turret that is now a reading room. They expanded the year I moved to town so I never had the chance to explore it in its original condition but you can still see parts of the original exterior while sitting in the new Great Hall.

 

Tea & Music are study essentials no matter where I am.

I thought my scarf with a excerpt from Pride & Prejudice was fitting for the library.

 

Just Jacklynn

Thrifted Thursday

Introducing a new thing that I will be doing here - Thrifted Thursday!

I love thrift shopping. It is a great way to pick up unique clothes and it is relatively easy to do even if you have a small budget. Kitchener-Waterloo has a great amount of thrift shop/consignment stores. Because of this wide selection I have quite a few thrifted goodies which should allow me to do these posts with reasonable frequency.

 This first Thrifted Thursday features a great way to keep warm out while it is still cold outside. Nothing says warmth like a cable knit, wool sweater. What caught my eye about this sweater in particular are these tiny little pearl beads woven throughout the front. It adds such a delicate touch that makes this just that little bit more special than a regular cable knit.

I get incredibly pale during the winter. Lipstick helps give some more color to my face. I find that even on mornings that I have to be at school early (8:30 am cognitive neuroscience labs ugggh!) I like to add a dab of lipstick. It helps me feel a little bit more prepared for what the morning will bring and keeps me from looking like a tired, pale dungeon troll.

Sweater - White Tiger Vintage

Tank Top  - Buffalo

Pants - Gloss

Necklace - Aldo

Ring - Ardene

Winter Layers

     Brrrrrrrrrr it has been cold out lately! Maybe it is due to this polar vortex thing (or you know it's January in Canada) but it is bone chilling freezing outside. Now I am a girl who prefers dresses and skirts to pants and I have been known to weather the winter (hehe) while still wearing my beloved dresses. However this winter has been rough. Although I love reading personal style blogs and tend to get most of my inspiration from them, most of the bloggers (that I follow) experience milder winters. Tights underneath shorts and a pair of ankle boots are cute but it simply will not cut it! So I thought that I'd share my favorite way of keeping warm.

Step 1:
I start off with a layer of tight fitting clothing. A tank top and some fleece lined leggings fit close enough to the body that I can wear them under other things and not look too bulky.

Step 2:
I add a pair of black skinny pants over my leggings. Up top I add my favorite chambray shirt which starts to bring long sleeves into the mix.

Step 3:
Finally I put on my sweater. I have not yet figured out a way to wear sweaters and not have it look a little bulky but that is part of the appeal. Also there is no way I am going outside in these temperatures without a sweater.

And there you go. This outfit formula has almost become my cold weather uniform. Luckily I have enough sweaters, button downs, and pants that it does not get too repetative.

Outfit Details
Tank Top -?
Fleece Lined Leggings - Gloss
Black Skinnies - American Eagle
Chambray Shirt - Junior's
Sweater & Belt - H&M
Cameo Necklace - Patina Vintage

Till next time I'll be trying to keep warm and being

Just Jacklynn

Last First Day of Class

       Wow I cannot believe that I am starting my final term of university! I know that the time will just fly by, and, even though I know I'll feel like I am tired of school by the end of this I am going to make the most of it. I love university and learning and know that this special little bubble that I get to live in as a student is pretty unique.

As you can tell by all the snow in the background it is still pretty cold out. I think that this week is one of the coldest that we've had all winter in this area. The day after these photos were taken it was so cold out that I wore my fleece-lined leggings underneath jeans and i still felt chilled. This definitely can pose a challenge when deciding what to wear in the morning.

Sweater - Value Villiage

Top - Naf Naf

Pants - Gloss

Earings - gift

I am still working out how to get the best lighting for photos. The above photos didn't show off the great plum color of these jeans so I threw in a photo taken from inside too. The closer look also allows the subtle pattern in the shirt to pop a bit more. I will be the first to admit that I am not great at taking photos. One of the goals with this blog though is to teach myself what works for taking photos - which I think I am doing, little by little.

As always, I will be 

Just Jacklynn

Just chillin

Sweater Dress - Dynamite

Coat - Le Chateau

Leggings - Gloss

Belt - Colorblind

Boots, Scarf, & Sunglasses - Aldo

Hat - H&M

I am back home for the holidays. The time between Christmas day and New Years Eve always feels like a much needed break after the stress of the exams. I like to bask in the fact that I have the freedom to do anything without having to feel guilty about how I should be studying.

My home town tends to slow down a lot in the winter so there is not that much to do. Luckily the town is so pretty that a lovely way to catch up with friends is to walk around town and talk with a hot cup of tea in hand. 

And I'm Back!

I think that I have earned the title of worst blogger ever seeing that has been almost a year since my last blog post. Eeeeppp that's bad! Anyways I am back and thought that I would do a quick round up of things that have gone on in my life since last November.

I have always loved thrift shopping. Macklemore ft Ryan Lewis's song thrift shop just encourage friends and I to dance around wearing fur coats. My partner in thrifting crime, Jess, and I even went to a Thrift Shop dance party in some of our vintage finds.

Some general silliness with chocolate mustaches while out and about on adventures in Kitchener.

I had the opportunity to go to Paris, France for a few days over my reading week. My friend and I visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Catacombs, La Sorbonne, Montmartre, and so many other places. We ate gallettes, crepes, duck confit, and drank spiced wine while we walked around the city at night. My only complaint was that we had to leave!

 Notre Dame

The Catacombs were super creepy and utterly fascinating!

I still tried to take outfit photos ........ I just never ended up posting them.

I was spoiled this summer because not only did I get to eat buckets of cherries from the tree at my Mom's house but my Mom would also make fresh batches of homemade gelato.

(photo above featuring the Arkells)

The Welcome Back Week at my school featured a free concert that included The Beaches, Mother Mother, and Arkells.

This year I was able to cross something off my bucket list. Since I was fifteen I have wanted to go to a Halloween screen of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and this year I finally did it! Of course I left costume planning to the last minute so my Magenta costume was comprised of things I found around the house. The apron was made of a tank top tucked into my skirt and the straps were made of folded paper. Hey, I didn't have to spend anything which is always a bonus for a university student.

So that is my quick recap of my last year. I promise I won't let another year go by before my next post.

Forever

Just Jacklynn

Studying

University Truth # 241: At this very moment you are procrastinating.

Hi again. I know I have been gone for a while and though I would like to say that while away I have been doing a variety of exciting things that would be a lie. In reality, most of the time I am looking the scene pictured above. It is midterm season and, with a midterm or project (or both) due every week, I have been studying. My schedule does look a little lighter for the next few weeks so I do hope to get back into blogging.

A few things that have been keeping me sane while studying:

• Music - I have a playlist called "Studying" to help keep me focused as well as to drown out background noise. It mostly consists of soft music with the odd fast-paced song to wake me up a bit.
• Snacks - I keep nuts like almonds and pistachios on hand because they are good brain food and keep me going for a while. Dark chocolate is also a must.
• Colorful highlighters and pens - Certain colors will help me highlight certain kinds of information: purple is definitions; green is formulas; and it continues on in a similar fashion. Bonus, it makes my notes look pretty and organized which helps when I am reviewing them later.

Anyways I got to get back to studying but good luck to any one else who is going through midterms as well!